Ballina Shire Council’s Community Strategic Plan received an infusion of ideas and energy from young people across the region yesterday, with a day-long Youth Forum involving 100 students at Lennox Head Cultural Centre.
Tara McGready, the Strategic Planning Manager at Ballina Council, was also the MC on the day. She told The Echo that twenty young people had been invited from each of the five local high schools (Alstonville High, Ballina Coast High, Xavier Catholic College, Emmanuel Anglican College and Richmond Christian College), with ages ranging from years seven to eleven.
‘Today is about hearing from the youth and finding out what they like about living in the Shire, what they don’t like about living in the Shire.
‘We’ll be starting broad and then getting them to give us the ideas. What could make it better, in terms of council or community services?’
Ms McGready said the outcomes from the Youth Forum would be going back to Ballina Council for integration into the the Community Strategic Plan (CSP). With Council not having had a youth council for many years, she said the Youth Forum was an important opportunity to directly hear from young people who are ‘living their own lives – they’ve got so much going on.’
Huge deal
Zoë Robinson is the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People, and was also in Lennox Head yesterday for the forum.
Is this kind of event unusual in NSW? ‘We’re always encouraging adults to sit with young people, to hear directly from them, but having a council think about building their strategy and including young people – that’s a huge deal for any community,’ said Ms Robinson.
‘I expect to hear very bold ideas from young people,’ with issues around transport and safety already emerging. ‘I think we’re going to hear some really great ideas, and some great solutions as well.’
Ms Robinson said she was aware of the extra mental health challenges faced by young people on the Northern Rivers in recent years, following COVID and the floods, with the forum following a survey of over 400 young people.
‘I think everyone should sit with young people and get their own ideas and solutions, because that’s the way we’re going to make it better for everyone in NSW,’ she said.
With students from all the high schools represented, the Youth Forum presented an unusual opportunity for young people from different schools around the area to get together.
Environment, community
Hannah from Anglican Christian College said she hoped there would be benefits for young people in Ballina, to see a safer environment and a stronger community.
Max from Emmanuel Anglican College said he was hoping to find some common ground with other students from around the community, sharing ideas to improve things.
Ballina’s Mayor Sharon Cadwallader told The Echo the forum was an opportunity to capture the voice and vision of what could be done better, with all agencies and schools joining forces to work together.
‘It’s an important voice that we need to listen to, because this generation is our future.’
Mayor Cadwallader said she was expecting to hear new ideas about sporting facilities, beaches and cycleways, with Council having already received 400 responses to its latest survey and over 1,000 responses to the Strategic Plan.
She noted that there had been a major infusion of families and youth into Ballina Shire in recent years, driven by people wanting to get away from city pressures while also able to access the airport and high speed internet connections for work.
Social cohesion
As for the students connecting with each other, Mayor Cadwallader said, ‘you can’t really put a price on how valuable that is… that social fabric of interaction with children and adults, it doesn’t matter your age. Social cohesion is really important.
‘There will definitely be new connections made today and I think that’s really good for mental health as well.’
Along with Ballina Council staff and all the students, also present at the Youth Forum were youth workers from Social Futures, My Momentum and headspace.
The findings of Ballna’s Youth Forum will be covered by The Echo when they become public later this year.
More stories about Ballina Shire Council:
Ballina Shire Council says it now has three new overland flood studies on public exhibition for community feedback. The studies cover Alstonville, Wardell and Lennox Head. Ballina Council's October meeting opened with Mayor Sharon Cadwallader acknowledging the attack on Dr Helen Haynes and calling for respectful public service. She said, 'Democracy depends on people being able to participate freely, respectfully, and without fear'. The agenda for Thursday's meeting includes six notices of motion from four councillors, with issues including missing persons, volunteer recognition, and arts funding. Construction on a $4.35 million flood-resilience upgrade of Ross Lane at Lennox Head is due to begin today, ahead of a nine-week closure of the busy road later this month. With Ballina Shire Council General Manager Paul Hickey deciding to retire after almost twenty years in the role, and even longer as a staff member, the task of finding a replacement has begun. Cr Damien Loone was also returned as Deputy Mayor after Cr Simon Chate withdrew his nomination.
Overland flood studies open for community feedback
Ballina debates regional arts funding, missing people and live music
Big meeting for Ballina Council this week
Ross Lane flood-resilience works begin ahead of nine-week closure
Ballina Council will be getting a new general manager
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